We all know that the bald eagle is our country’s most regal, majestic bird, the revered symbol of our pride in these United States of America. How could anyone possibly think otherwise?

The answer is plenty of people, starting with none other than Ben Franklin — one of our nation’s founding fathers — who vehemently opposed the bald eagle’s selection as the top icon for our country. In a January 26, 1784, letter to his daughter, Franklin wrote the following:

"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him."

Unfortunately, Franklin speaks the truth. The bald eagle is, in fact, a rather slovenly bird that would much rather pilfer fish from other industrious hunters — most notably, the osprey — than work hard at catching his own food. To make matters worse, when the bald eagle can’t find another bird to steal from, he typically resorts to eating dead stuff — commonly known as carrion — rather then pursuing fresh live prey.

Many other esteemed bird people also have some not-so-kind words for the bald eagle. John James Audubon describes them as birds of “ferocious, overbearing, and tyrannical temper” while Arthur Cleveland Bent calls the eagle “an arrant coward with a ridiculously weak and insignificant voice.”

Bald eagles do, of course, have many redeeming qualities. They are incredibly regal looking after they grow up (not so much before). Snow-white heads and tails — plus bright yellow eyes, beaks, and feet —s trongly accentuate their brown bodies.

Size-wise, baldies dwarf every other raptor except for the California condor. And they certainly cut a dashing swath when they soar on their broad wings across a bright blue sky. The bald eagle’s aerial antics are astounding to watch, especially the courtship displays of a mated pair. Their stunning flight maneuvers include power dives, freewheeling cartwheels with interlocked talons, roller coaster swoops, spinning circles and all-out chases. Small wonder that so many native North American tribes revered the bald eagle as a mystical and spiritual symbol.

But we all know that looks are often superficial if there is nothing of substance underneath.

Budd Titlow is a professional wetland scientist and wildlife biologist and an award-winning photographer. He has written three natural history books, most recently “Bird Brains: Inside the Strange Minds of Our Fine Feathered Friends.”